He had always loved her, yet he could not tell her. In fact, Charles Dumont could tell no one.
They became friends almost from day one of her employment with the company, and over the course of several years, they became more than just friends. There was just one problem. Both he and Natalie were married, maybe not happily, but married just the same.
It started out innocently enough, but soon turned into more than a flirtatious encounter, with the devil’s hand freely in the mix. Both Charles and Natalie were now passengers on a fast moving train into the unknown.
The first time he saw her, it took his breath way. It was just a brief glimpse and then she was gone.
“There she goes. Another sacrificial lamb off to appease the Gods,” mused Charles.
Natalie Brentwood was in the midst of her orientation rounds.
“Yeah. The long journey into the realm of madness and stupidity has just begun for that poor girl,” quipped Kevin.
But that one brief glimpse had set something in motion. Charles was out of sync for the next two days. There was something about this woman that shook him to the core. It was almost as if he knew her from somewhere.
Charles didn’t see Natalie again for almost two weeks, but when he did, he just about exploded.
“It’s her,” he shouted out.
“Her? Who?” asked Kevin. “What are you talking about?”
“That woman. Natalie… what’s her name? You know?”
Kevin didn’t understand. “Chuck, are you all right? You don’t look too good.”
“I know that woman,” he blurted out. “It’s her. I know it’s her.”
“How could you possibly know her? I heard she moved here from England six months ago. It’s impossible. You don’t know her.”
“I’m telling you, it’s her!” Charles was getting agitated.
“How do you know her?”
“I’ve dreamt about her.”
“What?”
“Nothing. You wouldn’t understand. Let’s just drop it.”
“You got that right. Man, you’re one sick puppy. I think maybe you should drop some of your project workload. You’re stressed to the max.”
“Yeah, maybe you’re right.”
***
